A Christmas gift from my daughter. I read this is one day and absolutely loved it. My daughter had picked it up at the Salvation Army a couple days before Christmas thinking I might like it. Looking for a new reader.

Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey has big dreams but little hope of seeing them come true. Desperate for money, she takes a job at the Glenmore, where hotel guest Grace Brown entrusts her with the task of burning a secret bundle of letters. But when Grace's drowned body is fished from the lake, Mattie discovers that the letters could reveal the grim truth behind a murder.

Set in 1906 against the backdrop of the murder that inspired Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy, Jennifer Donnelly's astonishing debut novel effortlessly weaves romance, history, and a murder mystery into something moving, and real, and wholly original.

Includes a reader's guide and an interview with the author.

Travelling to mcsar for the 12 Days of Christmas. I got 11 Pipers Piping. I hope you enjoy this Wishlist book as much as I did. I almost forgot to make a note after I sent it!

Thank you very much. I am always excited to receive a book that is loved by the sender. I look forward to reading it. The lovely bundle of gifts is hugely appreciated. The pipe decoration is so beautiful and so on point. 8)

* reserved as a tag to ReallyBookish

It was a fantastic read. A very well written debut novel.

Enjoy the tag!

Received safely today. Thank you so much!

Well, I tried. I am going to abandon this one on page 160. I was just expecting something different based on the blurb. The story begins with the discovery of the body of a drowned woman at an Adirondack hotel in the early 20th century. I love that setting and premise, and I wanted the book to go forward from there. It doesn't. Instead there is a lot of backstory about our main character Mattie that I found cliched and uninteresting. I never warmed to Mattie as a character and I found the "word of the day" device annoying. I am sure there is a good chance that future readers will enjoy this one; it just wasn't for me.

I hope the finder enjoys the book!